Sample Registration System (SRS)

Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin has been released by the Registrar General of India. It is based on data collected for 2018.

What is SRS?

• The SRS is a demographic survey for providing reliable annual estimates of infant mortality rate, birth rate, death rate and other fertility and mortality indicators at the national and sub-national levels.
• Initiated on a pilot basis by the Registrar General of India in a few states in 1964-65, it became fully operational during 1969-70.
• The field investigation consists of continuous enumeration of births and deaths in selected sample units by resident part-time enumerators, generally anganwadi workers and teachers; and an independent retrospective survey every six months by SRS supervisors. The data obtained by these two independent functionaries are matched.
• It is a demographic survey for providing reliable annual estimates at the national and sub-national levels of

1. infant mortality rate
2. birth rate
3. death rate
4. Other fertility and mortality indicators Key findings of the bulletin

Infant mortality rate (IMR)

• The national IMR in 2018 stood at 32 per one thousand of the population.
• The IMR at an all-India level has declined from 50 to 32 in the last decade.
• Mizoram has registered a 10 percent drop in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in 2019-20 fiscal, making it to the second spot in the country after Nagaland.
• Madhya Pradesh has an IMR of 48 and Nagaland 4.

Birth rate

• The birth rate is a crude measure of fertility of a population and a crucial determinant of population growth.
• The rates are calculated per one thousand of the population.
• The national birth rate in 2018 stood at 20 per one thousand of the population.
• Bihar has the highest birth rate at 26.2, whereas the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are at the bottom with a birth rate of 11.2.
• At an all-India level, the birth rate is higher in rural areas (21.6) compared to urban areas (16.7).

Death Rate

• The national death rate in 2018 stood at 6.2 per one thousand of the population.
• The death rate of India has witnessed a significant decline over the last four decades from 14.9 in 1971 to 6.2 in 2018.
• The decline has been steeper in rural areas.
• The corresponding decline in rural areas is 7.8 to 6.7 and in urban areas, 5.8 to 5.1.
• Chhattisgarh has the highest death rate at eight, whereas Delhi has a rate of 3.3, indicating better healthcare facilities.

UPSC